New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Your art could live in college radio infamy. 90.7 KALX just announced their annual t-shirt and sticker design contest – entries are due by Friday, September 3rd. The winners will not only have bragging rights, but their art will be featured on merchandise available only by donating to KALX during their fundraiser this October.
Design criteria and submission information can be found here.
-Nicole Leigh
We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).
After multiple rounds of categorizing, voting, narrowing down, and counting, Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based Midnight Spin landed at the top of The Deli Magazine’s “New York’s Best Emerging Artist of 2009 Reader’s Poll.” Freshly formed in 2008, Mike Corbett (vocals, guitar), Jim Terranova (guitar, vocals ), Danny Scull (drums), Ben Waters (bass), and Jeremy Cohen (keys) have been touring around town, selling out beloved venues in New York, including the Lower East Side’s Mercury Lounge, making headway at college campuses across the country, and leaving lasting impressions at this past year’s CMJ Music Marathon. The quintet has gained substantial support in their short time as a band, and with their recent victory on The Deli’s website poll, Midnight Spin may hold the keys to hitting the big time in no time. Their album “Through the Mojo Wire,” released last summer, resembles the type of record that would skip the Indie scene and head straight for the “Top 40s.” However, unsigned and New York-grown, Midnight Spin have benefited from the necessary acknowledgment by the neighborhood, a feel-good step in any emerging band’s career.
The Spring Standards – currently our artist of the month – are a NYC trio of multi instrumentalists who play rather mellow folky tunes. The band released their debut full length in April, showcasing a sound more varied than your average Americana band, enriched by beautifully evocative male/female vocals. Bells and Whistles is the song the trio chose for their debut video, which is tastefully (and quite literally) inspired to the song’s lyrics.
Mayor Sam Adams must have pulled inspiration from his recently hung portrait of sir Isaac Brock for his newest endeavor.
Adams announced last week the launch of Listen Local, a program that replaces our fine city’s “easy listening” on-hold music with tunes produced by Portland musicians, and by doing so highlights the vibrant, creative culture of Portland to callers both near and far.
“From our entrepreneurs to our artists, what starts in Portland tends to be watched – and bought – around the world,” said Mayor Adams. “Portland’s economic prosperity is being built on our innovation and our creativity. Listen Local showcases both.”
Portland-based music licensing and sonic branding company, Rumblefish, partnered up with the mayor to help develop the two-year pilot program to raise awareness of Portland’s spectacular music scene and reputation for being a thriving creative community.
A Community Listening Panel comprised of Portlander volunteers determines Listen Local’s quarterly playlists. The summer quarter’s selections vary from hip-hop to folk, classical, jazz and electronic, and features a few Deli favorites including Tu Fawning, Derby, Nick Jaina and Loch Lomond (featured in the badass video below).
Listen Local with Loch Lomond from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.
Listen Local invites all Portlanders to be a part of the program by joining the Panel or submitting their music to Rumblefish.
-Katrina Nattress
For the first seconds I was skeptical. I began to dread the reverb-y choir and opening guitar plucking preceding Y La Bamba‘s “Juniper.” But lo and behold, the song actually became a song.
Provided with a steady rhythm, Luzelena Mendoza (Y La Bamba herself) sways her voice to a call and response melody both eerie and moving. The tune is from Lupon, Mendoza’s first full-band debut on Portland’s Tender Loving Empire. Produced by the Decemberist’s Chris Funk (who continues his strong résumé), Lupon will be available September 28, 2010.
However (yes there is more), if waiting until fall is too heavy a burden, might one advise a string of shows, including an artist’s residency at the Laurelthirst Public House? Yes, it has been advised.
7/14- Portland, OR – Laurelthirst Public House (Laurelthirst Artist Residency)
7/18- Salem, OR – Miller Brothers Ranch – EMRG+N+SEE 2010
7/21- Portland, OR – Laurelthirst Public House (Laurelthirst Artist Residency)
7/28- Portland, OR – Laurelthirst Public House (Laurelthirst Artist Residency)
9/10 – Portland, OR – Someday Lounge (Musicfest NW)
9/23 – Corvallis OR – BS Music Fest
The band also just announced today that their album release show will be September 17 at Mississippi Studios, so clear your calendar.
Check out "Juniper" below:
– Nick Walker
I Fight Dragons have done it again. The band’s new video for their track "The Faster The Treadmill" was animated by Grey Gerling and the song itself appears on their debut ep Cool is Just a Number.
The site You, Me, Them, Everybody has begun to make music videos and their first two releases feature Daniel Knox and Black Math (Part of Me). Both video were directed by the man behind YMTE Brandon Wetherbee.
This week’s episode of Giant System TV features the sounds of Robbie Hamilton & Soft Ones.
This September, Tall Corn will be releasing the next album from Lobisomem (aka Brad Loving). The new album, Onze Pedraz is inspired by a month long trip to Mali. Loving, now living in Brooklyn spent many years soaking in Chicago’s improvisational music scene and that freedom is still very apparent in his electronic compositions. This full-length picks up where Loving’s ep Brightest Solids, which was released earlier this year, delves into a more topical realm.
Onze Pedraz will be released on September 24th by Tall Corn.